niikwao akuetteh and joining us live this is our first attempt at live testimony by google [inaudible] i suspect nobody has testified by this, the thing i didn't know existed. so my thanks to the technical assistance and the policy support of several very capable folks who made this happen. dr. fomunyoh you may begin and we appreciate your testimony today >> thank you, chairman to an and ranking member isaacson pivot on behalf of the national democratic institute, have the opportunity to discuss the political developments in mali. today crisis is two-thirds of the country which is humanitarian and has admitted for under 50,000 people. the political uncertainty in the capitol and the severe food shortage that is affecting the entire subregion. if this crisis were allowed to fester, it would have a long-lasting negative impact on mali and in the country's suggest niger with which mali shares very close borders. mali current transition because of the division of power and the influence among the three main actors. the president has given powers on the brokered agreement. as the left powe